Cruising Goddess Blog

Discovered this blog today ... it is LOADED with photos and lots of detailed information about things to do on the islands.   They even have some videos.

Cruising Goddess Blog

Would highly recommend checking her blog out.

Wait till you see what they did with Digital Scrapbooking:
Story Viewer


Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Hawaiian Shirts, Dresses & More

 If you are looking for Hawaiian shirts before you go on your vacation, here are some ideas of where to buy them.

JC Penneys has a brand called Island Shores.   They have many styles, some are even solid colors with design done in the same color as the shirt for those men who want to be conservative.   My husband falls into that category.  He didn't want one of the brightly colored prints.  We found him a black shirt with tan trim on either side of the buttons with a palm tree pattern going down the trim.   I also found some additional shirts on-line that have all over prints in the same color as the shirt.   Think he will like those too.   Island Shores brand is in their stores too not just on-line.

Hilo Hattie has so many designs to choose from.  They have clothes for men, women, and children and you can even find matching outfits for the whole family there.   There are stores on the islands plus an on-line store too.

ABC Stores are very popular in Hawaii.  They are a great place to purchase souvenirs from what I have heard.   Was excited to find them on-line too.

(added May 3, 2011) ... Just got back from our local Costco.   They had a HUGE supply of Hawaiian shirts for men for $19.95.   Definitely worth checking out too if you want to buy before your trip.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Specialty Dining Onboard

 Carnival Spirit (as well as other Carnival ships) has a specialty dining restaurant onboard.     There is a fee of $30 per person and reservations are required.   The service and food are 5 STAR quality.   Hal and I have gone to the steak house twice and definitely will go again.   We budget to go once during the cruise and use the opportunity to dress up a bit too.    Formal nights we always eat in the main dining room and eat in the steak house on another night.

Carnival has posted their specialty dining menu
NOTE:  Altho "drinks" are listed on the menu, there is an additional charge for them.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Pizza in Hawaii

Today I received an e-mail from King Arthur Flour Company with a recipe for Hawaiian Pizza.  That got me thinking about pizza in general and I wondered what might be the best place to get pizza on the islands.   Here's what I found:

Blog:   Slice --- The United States of Pizza:  Hawaii
Lots of information about where to eat, what to order etc.  Gives addresses, websites and also links to other blogs.

Big Kahuna's Pizza Review -- a 134 reviews.   4 starts out of 5   Honolulu
Big Kahuna's Pizza website

Blog:   Pizza Therapy --- The Best Pizza in Hawaii
This blog has reviews of different pizza places.

Aloha Update Site -- Honolulu     JJ Dolan's vs V Lounge

Carnival Spirit Cruise Ship has pizza 24 hours a day ... my husband really likes their pizza.

For some strange reason, I am now craving a pizza ... LOL


Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Scrapbook Stores on the Islands Plus more about Shore Excursions

Oh my gosh, I had not considered any scrapbook stores on the islands.  How fun!!!  I learned more about this from Sue's blog:   Cruizin Newz

Here's some of the stores she recommended from her trip in 2007: (read her blog entries for more details)

Kona Blog Entry
Maui Blog Entry
  .......   http://stores.islandpaperie.com/
  ............... they are in Maui and their address is:   395 Dairy Road


Here'ssome lists that I found on-line:
http://www.goscrappin.com/hawaii_scrapbooking_stores.html

http://www.cutchens.com/2008/03/scrapbooking-in-hawaii/

Sue has quite a bit of information on her blog about things they did on the islands, some very good photos too:
Kona ...

Hilo

Maui - Day 1

Maui - Day 2

Oahu

 Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Decisions, Decisions ...and Aquariums

We have never been to Hawaii before, and cruising is our absolute favorite way to vacation.   This cruise to Hawaii is going to be so much fun as we will be traveling with many of our cruise buddies that we have met from other cruises.   Our wonderful friends (Jackie & John) we originally met on a Carnival Spirit cruise back in 2006 and they have become members of our extended family.   Altho we talk often, it will be wonderful to see them on the cruise to Hawaii.

Our biggest decision once we were booked on this cruise, is now to decide what we want to do in each port.   We are going to be on a bit of a limited budget, so want to do as much as possible that will be FREE and will be close by the cruise ship port so that we can walk or take a shuttle.

Hilo Hatties is a must see for me.  I remember my mom and even my grandmother bringing back dresses from Hilo Hatties in Hawaii.   They are on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Oahu and offer shuttle services from the port from what I have read.  In many cases the shuttle is free.

I'm relying a great deal on a book that I purchased called Hawaii by Cruise Ship written by Anne Vipond - Second Edition.  If you decide to purchase this book, be sure you get the most recent publication.  The Second Edition was published in Jan 2011.   She does a wonderful job on describing what is within walking distance of the port, what sights to see, and so much more.   Highly recommend this book.

Snorkeling in the islands is suppose to be magnificent.  I have enjoyed seeing so many of the underwater photos.   The beaches are amazing too.    HERE is an article on the 10 best snorkeling spots in the islands.

Aquariums are one of our favorite places to visit and it looks like there are some amazing ones in Hawaii:

Waikiki Aquarium:  
The Waikiki Aquarium is located at:
2777 Kalakaua Avenue, on the shoreline in Kapi'olani Park.
The Waikiki Aquarium is within walking distance of Waikiki Beach, across the stree from the Kapi-olani Park Tennis Courts in the shadow of Diamond Head State Monument.

Maui Ocean Center:

Maui Ocean Center is conveniently located at Ma'alaea Harbor, off Highway 30. The aquarium is located 10-20 minutes from Kihei and Wailea, 15-20 minutes from Lahaina and Ka'anapali, 25-30 minutes from Napili and Kapalua.


Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Captain Zodiac Big Island Of Hawaii

I was going thru photos on-line and saw a number of photos posted from people who had been on the Captain Zodiac Raft Tours on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Here's what the Captain Zodiac site says about their tours:
"Come join us for an exciting rafting adventure to Kealakekua Bay. Whale watch, see turtles, dolphins, flying fish and other marine life in this action packed adventure with reasonable prices and good online discounts!"

They also have snorkeling tours too:
"Hawaii's first and original rafting adventure invites you to journey with us along the historic Kona Coast. Your naturalist captain will entertain you with tales of Hawaiian folklore and history as you travel to pristine Kealakekua Bay. Snorkel among beautiful tropical fish living in the coral gardens, then snack on a tasty Hawaiian snack in the marine sanctuary. Learn about the geology of the island as you venture into sea caves and past lava tubes."
Captain Zodiac 

Here are photos from someone who took the excursion:  Zydecocruiser  He has many photos posted from his adventure.

Just remember that any time you book a shore excursion that is not thru your ship to double check the times your ship arrives and leaves.   You don't want to book an 8 am tour if the ship arrives at 8 am.   Arrival time is an approximate for the cruise ships.   Be sure to allow for that, and also that there are often long lines to get off the ship when it first docks.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Our Cabin Door Decorations

After all the talk of cabin decorations here the other day, I just had to show you what we decided to do with our cabin door.   We found hanging flip flops on fishing wire which I removed, then added magnetic piece to the back of each one.   Since the cabin doors are metal on Carnival these should be easy to attach and remove.   The Hibiscus will be the center piece.   Not sure how they all will be arranged, but at least you get the idea.   Hibicus and flip flops are paper, so should add to the weight of our luggage.    The leis in the background are what we found at our local party store.   One is deep purple, one deep blue, and one multi-color.  All are silk flowers.   Will wear them boarding the ship. 

This is a photo of what I have on our refrigerator at home.  It's my "vision board" so to speak, so I get to think of Hawaii on a daily basis.   Today I added in the flip flops.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

St Judes Children's Research Hospital

Carnival has made a commitment to St Jude to raise 3 Million Dollars in donations over a three year period.   There is quite a bit of information on the Carnival Web Site about this.   They have fund raising activities on board while you are cruising to help raise donations.

St Jude & Carnival

They have raised $570,000 so far!!!!!   Thank you Carnival for doing this to help this fantastic organization.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Most cruiselines have a frequently asked question section.   Here are some of the links:


Carnival

Royal Caribbean 

Princess

Holland America

Celebrity


Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Flower Lei Ideas and Door Decorations

Wouldn't it be fun to board the ship wearing a silk flower lei (thank you GottaLuvCruising for the idea).  Also they have some door decorations too.   Here are some links that you might want to check out before you cruise.

Door Decorations

Silk Flower Leis

Oriental Trading Leis

Hanging flowers

You could also check your local party stores to see if they have any available. Here's what we found tonight locally:

1. Party City: Our local one just stocked a complete section plus part of another row with Hawaii leis, grass skirts, decorations, etc. We asked. They said they get them in now and carry for summer parties. Only a small stock amount carried in the fall.

2. Party America: Had similar items. They had a few more colors than Party City.

Both had silk leis ... $1.49 and up. Party America had a fantastic one that was really full and look almost real but was $7. Both had paper leis too in boxes of 50 (I think). Party ones are like the ones you use to get at the carnival as a kid.

Suggestion: If you are purchasing a lei locally, try it on your neck. We were amazed at how scratchy some of them are.

Doors on the ship are steel. We thought we could get some wall decorations and attach magnetic strips to them. That way no damage to the cabin door.
Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Internet Fees on Carnival Cruise Lines

Internet fees at sea on Carnival.

Activation fee - a one-time $3.95 charge applies to each user on their first login only.

Time Plans – offer guests the opportunity to enjoy a lower per-minute rate. These Time Plans are transferable between Internet Café terminals and personal laptops/ wireless devices, can be used anytime throughout the cruise until debarkation and don’t have to be used in a single session. No refund will be awarded for unused minutes. Upgrading a pre-selected pricing option is not available and plans are subject to change.

Longer Cruises (6 days and longer)
• 250 minutes for $100.00
• 100 minutes for $55.00
• Pay As You Go: $0.75/min
Shorter Cruises (5 days and shorter)
• 60 minutes for $24.00
• 30 minutes for $16.50
• Pay As You Go: $0.75/min
Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic (all itineraries)
• 480 minutes for $159 – complimentary laptop rental included
• 240 minutes for $89 – complimentary laptop rental included
• 120 minutes for $59
• 45 minutes for $29
• Pay As You Go: $0.75/min
Printing – available in the Internet Café at $0.50/page

If you are planning to use the internet while on board ship, be sure to check with your cruise lines to see what the rates are before you sail.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Helpful Tips: US Sales Tax

Just discovered from reading the message boards and talking to our travel agent, that cruise lines are required to charge state sales tax "if" you make a purchase before the ship sets sail and/or is NOT in international waters.   These purchases include drinks from the bar, drink of the day etc.

So you might want to wait to buy that soda card, bottled water package, etc. until later in the day.   Many people (us included) have purchased them the minute we get on the ship so that it is taken care of.   Sales tax can be quite high depending on the port (city, county, state) you are docked at. 

Not all cruise lines offer the water packages, but we have always been able to purchase bottled water on board throughout the cruise.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Airline Tickets

I just wanted to pass this link on:

Flight Stats    Fly Smarter

I read about this site in Woman's World Magazine today.  They had a small article on it which stated you could cut your airfare costs with "code shares".  You put in your flight number and if there is a code share, it will show so you can get a cheaper price.    I have not used this site nor am I recommending it.   Just passing on the information about it.  

If you have used Flight Stats before, please leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.

Helpful Tips: Photos

Are you planning to take a helicopter ride on the islands???  If yes, here's a great tip I found yesterday:

Be sure to wear BLACK on the helicopter ride.  If you wear light color clothing it will reflect in the windows AND affect your view and your photos that you are taking.   Tip was posted on Cruise Critic by kwbound (screen name)

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. This is a personal blog about information cruising to Hawaii. All opinions posted by me are my personal opinion. This blog is not sponsored or endorsed by any company or individual.